The Warning Signs: Recognizing Disconnection in the Workplace
April 24th, 2025
NOTICING AND WONDERING
Recently, I found myself in three different organizations experiencing similar challenges: teams feeling disconnected, productivity plateauing, and retention becoming a growing concern. Despite different industries and cultures, the symptoms of low cohesion were remarkably consistent.
I noticed how disconnection in the workplace manifests in subtle ways before it becomes a measurable problem. Before exit interviews reveal why people are leaving, before engagement scores plummet, there are observable warning signs: conversations becoming increasingly transactional, cameras turning off in virtual meetings, spontaneous collaboration disappearing, and silence growing where creative debate once thrived.
According to Gallup's latest research, employee engagement in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level in a decade in 2024, with only 31% of employees engaged – a troubling statistic that reflects the broader trend of disconnection in today's workplace. Even more concerning, feelings of being cared for at work have dropped from 47% in 2020 to just 39% today.
I wondered about this widening engagement gap. Why, despite increased investment in team-building activities and wellness programs, is connection continuing to deteriorate? Perhaps we're focusing on the symptoms rather than the underlying causes. Maybe our metrics – attendance at events, survey completion rates, even retention numbers – aren't actually measuring what matters most: the quality of human connection and sense of belonging.
When we look more closely at disengagement, we see it's rarely about the formal structures of work. People don't disconnect from mission statements or KPIs – they disconnect from people. From managers who fail to see their whole humanity. From colleagues with whom they share no meaningful interactions. From leadership that speaks about culture but fails to embody it.
I noticed that in high-functioning teams, certain behaviors consistently emerge: vulnerability is rewarded rather than punished, feedback flows openly in all directions, conflicts surface and resolve productively, and individuals feel psychologically safe to bring their full selves to work. These teams don't just perform better – they stay together longer.
What if the solution to disconnection isn't more team-building activities or benefits, but rather creating conditions where genuine human connection can thrive? What if instead of treating low engagement as an individual problem, we recognized it as a systemic signal that relationships are breaking down?
What if leaders approached retention not as a numbers game but as a relationship challenge? What if we measured success not by how many people stay, but by the quality of the connections that make them want to stay?
When we reframe disconnection this way, we begin to see that engagement isn't something to be manufactured through programs and perks – it emerges organically when people feel truly seen, heard, and valued. And in our increasingly digital and distributed world, this human connection has become not just important, but essential.
A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT
“People don’t leave bad jobs; they leave toxic work cultures... Culture is the invisible infrastructure of connection that holds teams and organizations together.”
DEEP-ish QUESTIONS
Where in my organization do I see the early warning signs of disconnection? What patterns of interaction have shifted over the past six months?
Which team members appear to be "going through the motions" rather than bringing their full engagement? What changed in their experience that might explain this shift?
How might I be contributing to disconnection through my leadership style or communication patterns? What small change could I make tomorrow that would strengthen authentic connection?
SOMETHING TO TRY
The Disconnection Assessment
For one week, observe and track these five warning signs of team disconnection:
Communication patterns: Note how often team communication is purely transactional versus relationship-building
Meeting behavior: Track camera usage, participation levels, and energy in virtual and in-person meetings
Spontaneous interaction: Record instances of unprompted collaboration or social connection
Conflict patterns: Note whether disagreements surface openly or remain underground
Recognition frequency: Document how often team members acknowledge each other's contributions
After collecting this data, consider: Where are the bright spots of connection? Where are the warning signs of disconnection? What one small intervention might strengthen the most vulnerable relationship?
ANNOUNCEMENT
Groops: Measuring the Invisible - Team Cohesion Assessment
Concerned about disconnection in your team or organization? The warning signs of low cohesion often appear long before retention problems surface. Groops offers a comprehensive team cohesion assessment that measures:
Connection strength across team relationships
Psychological safety levels
Communication effectiveness
Recognition patterns
Conflict health
Our assessment goes beyond traditional engagement surveys to measure the quality of connection that drives retention, innovation, and performance. We provide actionable insights and targeted interventions to strengthen your team's cohesion before disconnection impacts your results.
Let Groops help you see and strengthen the invisible infrastructure of connection that holds your team together.
Request more information here.
Thanks for reading and keep on connecting.
Best,
Bobbi
Bobbi Wegner, Psy.D.
Founder and CEO of Groops: helping teams feel and function their best
Lecturer at Harvard University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology
If you are curious about a workplace dynamic or issue, send me an email at drbobbiwegner@joingroops.com and I will anonymously post it and respond. If you are thinking it, others are too. We can learn from each other. Also, if you are curious about the cohesion and health of your team, book a complimentary 30-minute consultation HERE with one of our Groop Guides.